COUNTRY PROFILE/Poland: Interest is growing across Poland in the upcoming European elections, but for the wrong reasons. Poland's first election for the European Parliament, six weeks after it joined the EU, is likely to be dominated by domestic politics, in particular the uncertain future of the coalition government lead by prime minister designate, Mr Marek Belka.
Mr Belka took over from scandal-tainted Mr Leszek Miller on May 2nd but lost a first-round confidence vote last week. He will try to gather support for a second vote later this month, and rumours of a possible deal to secure parliamentary support are already doing the rounds in Warsaw. If he fails, however, Polish voters would probably go to the polls in August, transforming the upcoming European elections into a warm-up round for the parties, something it is beginning to resemble anyway.
"The real importance of this election is for the politicians. They are more interested in having a pre-test of the national elections than running a European election campaign stressing the European policies," says Dr Robert Sobiech, a political scientist at the University of Warsaw.
With that in mind, the election campaign is likely to focus on current domestic issues such as corruption, the economy and 20 per cent unemployment.
"The public is not very informed about the real role of the European Parliament, which could be dangerous for Polish attitudes to EU once the reality of the parliament becomes clear," says Dr Sobiech.
Just 27 per cent of Polish voters are aware they are electing members of the European Parliament, according to a report from the Institute of Public Affairs (ISP), a Warsaw think-tank, while polls suggest turnout could be as low as 25 per cent.
The ruling Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), facing an electoral rout with just 7 per cent support in opinion polls, has decided to keep its European campaign ideology-light and entertainment-heavy. New party Polish Social Democracy (SdPL), an SLD breakaway, has launched a campaign with the slogan "Let's make use of the European chance". The right-wing Civic Platform (PO), one of two parties with its roots in the Solidarity movement which brought down the communist regime, currently attracts 25 per cent support and is likely top the European poll. It has a two-pronged campaign: to defend Poland's interests in Brussels and to get the best deal for Poland in the next EU budget. But the campaigning reality on the ground is somewhat different.
"It's completely hopeless to run a European issues campaign like (who will be) the next commissioner or what the fate of the constitution should be," says Mr Krzysztof Bobinski, a PO candidate outside Warsaw. "It's local issues - what can you do for us? "
Mr Andrzey Lepper, the firebrand leader of the populist, anti-EU Self-Defence party, plans to run a campaign promising a better EU deal for Poland. "National interests come first," he said recently, promising that his MEPs will use the Strasbourg parliament to push for the renegotiation of quotas on everything, from milk to steel production.
Self-Defence remains Poland's second most popular political party but is losing support, according to a poll by the PBS institute for Rzeczpospolita newspaper, down to as low as 18 per cent from a record 29 per cent last month.
Mr Lepper will hope to shake up the new European parliament the way he has Polish domestic politics. One suggestion being aired is that Self Defence might search for support to create a Euro-sceptic parliamentary grouping.